DENVER — Uber announced Wednesday it will have "no choice" but to end operations in Colorado if a bill regarding rideshare safety policies becomes law.
House Bill 25-1291 was spearheaded by State Representative Jenny Willford, District 34 — D, and was introduced into the legislature a little more than a month after Willford spoke publicly about her alleged sexual assault by a man pretending to be a Lyft driver.
"This legislation has been very personal to me," Willford said. "I decided to use my own pain and the platform that I have to hold a company that has ignored survivors for far too long accountable, and what we saw today — them announcing that they're going to leave — is them feeling that accountability for the first time in a very long time."
The bill requires a number of protocols for rideshare companies, including regular criminal history checks for drivers, initiating a review of a driver for deactivation when complaints are filed, and banning any offers of food or drink between riders and drivers. HB25-1291 would also establish continuous audio recording of drivers during trips by January 2026, adding continuous video recording to the equation by July 2026.
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Willford said she was surprised by the announcement from Uber on Wednesday.
"What we've primarily heard from Uber is that they felt like the legislation was not workable," said Willford. "When we dive into what exactly that means to them, they told us, you know, 'It's not possible to have audio and video up and running within 90 days of the legislation being passed.' And so we said, 'Hey, give us a suggestion. Tell us what is workable for you.' They said, 'Give us at least until January to start the audio, and then give us about 18 months from when the bill is passed to implementation for video.' All of their other concerns that were really technical, we decided that it made a lot more sense to send those to the Public Utilities Commission for rulemaking."
In a statement, a spokesperson with Uber said the company has always been a leader in safety through measures it already has in place, like "robust background checks and features like Audio and Video Recording, an Emergency Button, PIN verification, and RideCheck."
The statement continued to call HB25-1291 a "deeply flawed proposal." Uber claims it threatens user privacy by requiring every trip to be recorded, places "major" technical and financial burdens on the business, and "offers no clear safety benefit in return."
Uber ended the statement by claiming that the bill "risks doing more harm than good."
- Read the full statement below
“Uber has led the industry on safety from day one—backed by technology, transparency, and real accountability. We don’t just talk about safety; we build it into the core of our platform with robust background checks and features like Audio and Video Recording, an Emergency Button, PIN verification, and RideCheck.
HB25-1291 is a deeply flawed proposal, which if implemented could leave us no choice but cease operations in Colorado. It threatens user privacy by requiring every trip to be recorded, imposes major technical and financial burdens, and offers no clear safety benefit in return. We support real, evidence-based safety policy – not legislation that checks a box but fails to deliver. As written, this bill not only misses the mark, it risks doing more harm than good.”
Willford said lawmakers have been working with the rideshare company for months to develop a piece of legislation based on their feedback.
"I spent the whole day being deeply upset and wondering, why would you compromise on safety? Why is what we are offering and what we are putting on the table not common sense across the board?" asked Willford. "I certainly hope that what we saw today was simply a tactic. We've been working in good faith for months to make sure that we get the policy right, and it is really frustrating to have them pull this at the last minute when we're so close to the finish line."
According to Uber, users already have the ability to record every trip, and there is an emergency button within the app. However, certain survivors connected to a notorious Denver crime believe more needs to be done.
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In March, John Pastor-Mendoza was sentenced to 290 years in prison after he was convicted of 30 counts related to the kidnapping, assault and attempted assault of a dozen women. The Denver District Attorney's Office reports that between 2018 and 2022, Pastor-Mendoza would falsely respond as a rideshare driver when the women requested a ride.
Three of the survivors of Pastor-Mendoza — Erika Rinnert, Katie Davis, and Marie DeFoe — told Denver7 they want their stories to catalyze change.
"Use our stories for power and take that power back between us," DeFoe said. "What can I do to help others, and what steps can I take to make the world a little bit of a better place for other people?"
Rinnert, Davis, and DeFoe believe HB25-1291 is an example of how their voices can impact the Colorado community.
"Uber and Lyft are stating that they have all these safety measures in place, but clearly there are criminals hiding behind the system and utilizing the system to prey on innocent people," DeFoe said.
Denver7 asked the women about their reaction to Uber's announcement on Wednesday.
"My knee-jerk reaction was rage because how dare you try to extort the people asking for safety measures by saying, 'Fine, then we won't operate there,'" Davis said. "I just fail to see how anything we're asking for is more onerous than what they're already claiming to be doing."
"My initial reaction is like, okay, then go. If you really can't do what you say is your mission and keep your riders and drivers safe, then go. That's fine," Rinnert said. "I think it's an empty threat. I don't think it'll actually happen."
Lyft has not made a similar announcement about leaving Colorado if the bill becomes law, but in a statement, a spokesperson said there are aspects of the bill that make "implementation extremely problematic."
"We believe there is a compromise that can be reached that would be beneficial for both riders and drivers, but there are still several aspects of the bill that would make implementation extremely problematic. At the very least, it would have a drastic, negative impact on those who use the platform in a way that does not help achieve the goal of the legislation. We encourage Senate officials to collaborate with us on a bill that addresses these realities and avoids the unintended consequences the current version creates."
HB25-1291 passed out of the Colorado House of Representatives on a 59-6 vote. It is currently in the Senate.
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